The 20 Stars of Your Youth We Lost in 2026

Twenty American stars we lost in 2026 — the role you remember them for, and how they looked in their last years. The oldest lived to 102 and won an Oscar for her very first film. THE REELS 0:00 Dolly Parton · 9 to 5 · 1980 0:28 Robert Duvall · The Godfather · 1972 0:55 Chuck Norris · Walker, Texas Ranger · 1993 1:17 Catherine O'Hara · Home Alone · 1990 1:39 Tom Skerritt · Top Gun · 1986 2:02 Shelley Fabares · The Donna Reed Show · 1958 2:25 Neil Sedaka · Breaking Up Is Hard to Do · 1962 2:46 Valerie Perrine · Superman · 1978 3:05 Demond Wilson · Sanford and Son · 1972 3:24 Bob Weir · Grateful Dead · 1965 3:45 Gene Shalit · Today · NBC 4:02 Randolph Mantooth · Emergency! · 1972 4:18 Ann Blyth · Mildred Pierce · 1945 4:36 James Tolkan · Back to the Future · 1985 4:55 Louise Lasser · Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman · 1976 5:20 Vincent Pastore · The Sopranos · 1999 5:40 Hal Williams · 227 · 1985 5:58 Ben Jones · The Dukes of Hazzard · 1979 6:14 Dennis Haskins · Saved by the Bell · 1989 6:30 Eva Marie Saint · On the Waterfront · 1954 6:54 In Memoriam 7:57 Twenty names FROM THE RECORD ◆ Dolly Parton wrote "9 to 5" on the film's set, using her fingernails for the rhythm. She died in Nashville in August, at 80. ◆ Robert Duvall won his Oscar at 53, for Tender Mercies. He was 95. ◆ Ann Blyth was 18 when Mildred Pierce came out and earned her an Oscar nomination. She outlived Joan Crawford by 49 years. ◆ Gene Shalit reviewed movies on the Today show for nearly four decades. He lived to 100. ◆ Eva Marie Saint won the Oscar for On the Waterfront, her first film. She was 102. CREDITS Dates of birth and death — Wikipedia, checked against at least two news reports per name (Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, NBC News). Photographs — public-domain publicity photos and press stills of the period (ABC, NBC, RCA, 20th Century Fox, David Gahr, New York Sunday News, The White House, U.S. Air Force) and photographs from Wikimedia Commons by Chris Roth, David Gans, gdcgraphics, Harald Krichel, HBO, Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times, Lucha VaVOOM, Peabody Awards, Putitonamap98, Raph_PH, Rob Bogaerts / Anefo, Rob DiCaterino and Yoni S. Hamenahem (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0); all restored, colorized, re-lit and placed on a studio background. Some portraits are AI-assisted recreations based on photos of the period and recent photos. Music — Epidemic Sound: Longing (Ludvig Moulin); Before the Journey (William Claeson); Amour Mourant (Franz Gordon). Every date comes from public records and this year's news, checked name by name. Causes of death are not discussed. Not affiliated with any studio, estate or family. Researched, written and edited for The Last Reel.